Guild Wars 2 continues to gain plenty of player attention in spite of the competition from titles such as WildStar and The Elder Scrolls Online. On that footing and from the success of the last Feature Pack, ArenaNet have revealed a new one - also totally free - is due to arrive in September. There’s very little in the way of details so far besides the usual “expect more in the coming weeks” but what we do know is that it’ll have a World versus World and PvP focus.

From a personal perspective, part of the reason why I fell foul of Guild Wars 2 was because I didn’t support the long term aims of the game. Living World felt hollow and short lived and too little attention was paid by ArenaNet to some of the more unique aspects of the game, notably World versus World. Where Guild Wars 1 had Guild versus Guild (arguably one of the genres best game modes) Guild Wars 2 still lacks a definitive game mode that lures the competitive players in for the long term. I’ve always found it’s PvP and World versus World disposable and too devoid of tactics. PvP still hinges on bunker builds due to the capture point mechanic while World versus World is fundamentally flawed: no real incentives, maps are too small and zerg trains are still king.

If the new Feature Pack is going to really make a mark on Guild Wars 2, I’d want to see Guild versus Guild implemented alongside a revision to the World versus World maps to see them thinned out of Towers and Keeps and instead focused on single large Keeps like in The Elder Scrolls Online. The AvA system they created is so much more realised than what Guild Wars 2 offers that there really is no comparison. The fact I have 100fps in The Elder Scrolls Online, at maximum settings and despite hundreds on screen at one time only demonstrates the limitations of Guild Wars 2’s engine.

Sadly it leaves you with a single PvP game mode with some maps of dubious quality with many of the same class issues that have plagued the game since Beta. Negativity aside, I think ArenaNet really nailed their first Feature Pack despite some minor quibbles. If they can put as much effort into this one, it might actually be enough to drag me back to the game.

I’m excited to announce that the September 2014 Feature Pack is on its way and will hitGuild Wars 2 on September 9!

We’ll be announcing the details of each of the features and events tied to the feature pack here on the Guild Wars 2 website over the course of the next three weeks.

To kick things off, we’ll be focusing on new PvP and WvW updates. We’ve planned our Competitive Week to coincide with the Guild Wars 2 International All-Stars Tournament, which we’re streaming live from the show floor this week at gamescom in Cologne, Germany! Make sure to check out the streams later this week and watch as some of the best players from Europe, China, and North America battle it out for world supremacy.

For those of you dying to know what the future holds: Living World Season 2 will be going on break for a while as we count down to the arrival of the September 2014 Feature Pack. You can look forward to the return of Season 2 in autumn, and we’ll announce the start date for episode 5 after the feature pack has been released. Episode 4, “The Dragon’s Reach: Part 2,” will remain active until episode 5 is released, so you still have time to log in with a character and unlock this episode’s story content!

We hope you’re as excited about the September 2014 Feature Pack as we all are here at ArenaNet, and we look forward to seeing you in the game!

—Colin Johanson

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